The burleys were nutty with a molasses taste, though I occasionally got some dull notes. The Virginia was grassy/hay-like with little sweetness. The latakia flavor added a nice smokiness, and perked up the blend. The rum topping was very lightly present. Like most HoW tobaccos, I had to smoke it slowly to avoid tongue bite. Burned well and very easy, even with some hydration, though I got a cigarette note or two near the finish. Not a bad mixture, better than most of the other HoW products. Not quite a three star product, but it was a solid two and a half stars.

CapnStuby's review (9-22-2003) prettymuch nailed it for me, namely the last few sentences. I need to get more of this, I'm almost out. I bought a bag a few years ago, from pipesandcigars but I'm sure other sites have it, too. I think this would be a good latakia blend for somebody who's never tried latakia blends before and wants to explore them.

I experimented with a full can of this, smoking it moist, dried out to various degrees, re-humidified, etc. I absolutely loved the flavor of this! It was very tasty... that is, when it would hold a light. For some reason, I had to relight this several times during a smoke. I tried different packing methods, different pipes, different types of pipes (briar, meerschaum, clay, cob) and in every instance, the smoke was compromised by the fact that I just couldn't keep it lit.

It's true that I'm not used to a pure cube cut and that may be part of the problem. I'm used to flakes, broken flakes and ribbon or coarse cuts. I spoke with others that were more knowledgable about how to load a cube cut into a pipe, I followed their suggestions, and I just couldn't make this stuff work. Some other reviewers have had similar problems and some haven't. Hopefully anyone reading this has better luck than I.

Maybe it's just me and the way I pack it, but I wasn't impressed. I filled it up, touched it off and puffed away. Suddenly it was out. I relit, puffed away, it went out. I burned my tongue trying to keep it going, but it went out again. I tried packing it differently, but got the same results. The flavor was bland. I even tried breaking it up more and had no success. I can't even give this stuff away. Maybe I will keep it and mix it with other stuff, I don't know. I DO know I won't buy it again.

After hearing a lot of good things about this blend I really wanted to like it. All I can say is that it is very bland, and smooth. The tobacco is cut poorly and the tin note is not the best. I think if you like this blend at all, try Junkyard Dawg from C&D.

Based upon the variability that I've found with this blend, my rating would be more like 1.5 stars, not two. The tin note has varied from the "butterscottish" to boring that others have noted. My last tin started drying into a mixture with a positively evil, chemical smell that was rather disconcerting (probably due to some odd Latakia they scrounged from somewhere). What Latakia does seem to be in the blend is pretty sparse and essentially buried in the topping and Burley. I didn't find the strong Latakia taste some have noted. There is some bite, but a bowl generally reduces down to an ash, not a sodden goop.

Compared to other blends (Old Lodge, Squadron Leader) it really isn't much of a bargin although I suppose its nice to see a "retro" blend still in the marketplace.

This is a tobac that I really wanted to like. The tin aroma was a warning to me that I wouldn't. I could smell nothing but a butterscotch-ish top dressing.

Upon lighting the pipe, the flavor of the top dressing, now made overpowering by heat, assaulted my mouth and olfactoy lobe. I found it most unpleasant, and only smoked 1/4 of the bowl before dumping it. Even at that, I had to smoke a few bowls of MacBaren's Burley London Blend to get the dog funk out of the pipe.

Since this problem wasn't reported by the other reviewers here, I assume that the overwhelming nature of the top dressing must be attributed to HOW's now-reputed lack of quality control.

I agree with Lustra that the search for a fine Burley/Latakia blend ends with C&D's Morley's Best.

I wanted to like this. God help me, I wanted to. It has everything I thought I liked in a tobacco. It was a classic American blend with a burley base, a cube cut burley base; I love cube cut. It was augmented with Virginia and Latakia that I suspected would be a pleasent note to remind me of the days when I was a devoted smoker of English mixtures. Many good people whom I have so often taken heed of in the past were heard to rave about this stuff. I was all set for a true treat.

Fie. And fie again. The first thing I noticed when opening the tin was how wet this stuff came. I don't like wet tobacco. Moist perhaps, but I distinctly remember the leaves sticking to my fingers. What's more, it didn't seem to dry out over time. Such things seem unnatural to me.

I did eventually smoke some. I asked myself one thing from the outset, and continued to ask it during every subsiquent smoke. This question: Where is the burley?

I very much enjoy the taste of burley. I will often choose a tobacco described as having something like 'a pernounced burley character' and am rarely sorry I did so. If one is going to have a tobacco whith a burley base, that tobacco should have some taste of burley. Barking Dog does not taste like burley. It tastes like Latakia, not burley. Where is the burley? Where? What do they think they are doing? Did they think I wouldn't notice? Well let me tell you---

Sorry.

Honestly though, Latakia was the only thing I could taste in this mixture. I finished the entire can, for some reason, and such was always the case. There is nothing wrong with Latakia, but when I am smoking what is called a blend I would like to taste other tabacco as well, like burley, you clods at House of Windsor.

Still though, people continue to rave over this blend. I don't know why. Perhaps it's me. Not likely, but perhaps. I still maintain that I would like this style of tobacco if only it were done right and I could taste the burley, which I couldn't, you see. I understand that Cornell&Diehl has a clone of Barking Dog. I have always known Mr. Tarler to be a man that makes a blend that has a taste like unto the tobaccos he claims to put into said blend, unlike some companies whose name begins with 'H' and ends with 'indsor'. Yes, perhaps I need to look to Junkyard Dawg. 'Dawg', mind you. More later.

This stuff comes from Yoe, Pennsylvania. I have no idea where that is, but if I?m ever in that part of the Keystone State, I plan on taking a little detour to Yoe to shake the hands of the eccentric people who still believe in tinning these old standard drug store blends. Barking Dog is so adorable, you?d buy it for the can alone. They also produce Model, Country Doctor, Field and Stream and a few other standbys in two ounce narrow tins. I have a feeling these little cans might become real collectors items one day on EBay. The beige tin with its droopy boxer on it and its motto ?Barking Dog Never Bites,? is enough of a seduction. Anyone who has fond memories of Sir Walter Raleigh, Half and Half or other American drug store burley cube cuts will find this an enjoyable whim. Yes, Boston, Jackie Gleason on Saturday nights is apropos. Tin aroma is sweetish with that five and dime light casing that might remind you of the first tobacco you ever smoked when you were 16. It takes about two or three lights to get this going, but once you do, it develops beautifully with a fragrant, unobtrusive aroma. I had a bowl of this the other day while driving through the industrial squalor of northwest Indiana with its fiery blast furnaces, vast marshalling yards and surreal refinery tanks. Like the landscape, Barking Dog was simple, matter-of-fact and largely one-dimensional. Yet, somehow, the drive, the smoke, the aroma all made sense, coalescing into a contented Saturday afternoon drive. Don?t expect too much from BD, at the same time, prepare to be pleasantly surprised; perhaps even more so if you?re in a comfy chair and not driving around Whiting, Indiana.

random sized cube cut, showing some dark and light mottling in the cubes. Smells like a Burley base with some Latakia, and maybe a bit of Va. Packs easily, lights well, burns evenly and very cool. A very old fashioned American smoke, I enjoyed it occasionally.

I enjoy the Sutliff Match (Man's Best Friend in tins) and so sought this out. As it was over ten years old, it needed a little rehydration, but not much. It burns fast, bites a bit in brairs, and works nicely in cobs. The room note is about as pleasant as you'll get from a blend with Latakia. The topping isn't overly-sweet or overwhelming, a shame this old blend is out of production, but the Match is very similar.

I am a voracious applauder of Morley's Best so looked forward to this mixing of the burl and the lat. The Latakia here is delicious, rich and smooth. I prefer it to the more chunky Latakia in the Morles. The Burley, however, is a bit bland (as others note) and the mixture doesn't quite add up to my Morleyiana-adoration-song.

Images evoked include a Darwin-Fish, with legs, being roasted on a spit over a barely-flickering propane stove on a hungry and hollow night. Where are my propane accessories?

Being new to pipes it is hard to compare to other tobaccos I'm not familiar with, so my review will be very subjective.

I first received a sample of Barking Dog as part of a pipe and tobacco order. I liked it immediately, with its strong pleasant odor when opening the pouch. My sample was a little dry and therefore smoked milder than I've found it to be since. It was good enough to make me buy more.

Other reviews have a strangely differing opinion on the amount of latakia - I would say there is almost half and half mixture and in keeping with the 60/40 that others mention. It packs nicely and I have not had problems with keeping it lit, even in different pipes.

The Dog has a very rich and full taste on first light, but soon settles into a very smooth and satisfying smoke. This is the first tobacco I've tried that is noticeably cool on the draw, and a pleasure to the palate. I find definite sweet overtones for the first 3/4 of the bowl, so much so that I often smack my lips between puffs to savor the flavor. I like the fact that it has good taste without seeming like its been truly "flavored" or made to be something its not (like a berry or vanilla might be).

I enjoy the smoke smell on the nose while smoking. I don't smoke indoors so the true room smell is a guess, but I do enjoy the linger when in the garage or other enclosed spaces.

In the tin, the scent of this melange of cubed burley and short-cut ribbon is dominated by a burley grassiness along with a sweetish, spiced honey topping and a pronounced smokiness.

The flavor is well-balanced between the smooth richness of burley and the pointed spice of unaffected bright virginia along with a hefty proportion of latakia providing a pleasingly bitter contrast. The dry austerity is mitigated by the simplifying and ingratiating effect of the sweetish topping.

With typical House of Windsor aplomb, Barking Dog is an easy-smoking american blend that manages to add an admirable latakia complexity without sacrificing companionability.

A HOW blend I truly enjoy, there is not much latikia in it, and it can bite on occasion.Leaves a mild "woodsey" scent in the room and my wife enjoys this. Overall I place it somwhere between an "everyday" blend and those times when I want something fuller.

I opened a small tin of this a couple of years ago, and it's been aging since. The other day I decided to smoke this in a cob. It reminds me very much of Walnut. An Americanized English blend, with burley dominating the smoke with a little Latakia for a condiment. After smoking a few bowls, I feel it almost doubles for Walnut. I remember paying $ 6.00 for the small 2 oz tin, not really worth it. I bought a large tub of Walnut for $ 18.00. Stick with Walnut.

I have read of some very wet smokes, or no latakia in this blend. The batch I bought does not exhibit this characteristic.

It packs well, takes a little effort to light it. Has a decent smooth taste. The topping is minimal. Over all a very pleasing smoke. Personally it did leave a little linger after taste, not horrible. Though I still did find myself washing the taste out with some homebrew. Not that I really need a reason for that anyways ;-)

If your an aromatic fan, that wanted to try something between English and Aromatic, this may be the blend for you.

I may buy this again. It was alright, though I may stay with some heavier English blends.

I too fell victim to the cute dog on the tin. What I found was a nice, solid cubed burley/latakia blend that is a great after dinner smoke. A true classic!

It is a bit dry out of the tin, and when gravity fed into the bowl packs nicely. Lighting for me was no issue with just one match. It does bite a little if smoked hard. Otherwise, no issues here.

The strength is mild with regards to nicotine, but the flavor is very well balanced with just the right amount of latakia to round things out. I am not a huge fan of cube burleys, but this blend has changed my mind.

I am only sorry to have come across it too late in its lifecycle. I do plan to buy several tins to have in the future, in the event that I wish to take a walk down memory lane with this nostalgic blend from a better managed time.

The room note is pleasing, and is best described by a fellow reviewer as a campfire scent. The taste is straight forward "codger burley" with a latakia influence.

I will recommend this blend if you can find it. Its definately worth a try! Take this dog for a walk.

To be honest with you, I bought this at first because of the reviews and because I liked the tin...LOL! I have a boxer which is the dog on the can.

I have since finished the can and plan on obtaining more of this hearty smoke. I really enjoy the "saltyness" of the smoke. It is one of my favorite tobaccos to smoke when I am on the road. The coarseness of the cut does not bother me.

It is a cheap smoke and if you like Latakia you should be able to taste it in this blend. A friend recently gave me a bunch of Lat blends since he does not prefer them and he knows I do. I have tried several of them but like the Dog the best so far.

This will be one of my regulars for now until I find something else. One curious thing about it is the room note. I have friends that love the smell of it when I am smoking it around them and friends that absolutly hate it saying that it smells horrible. So, I won't smoke it around them...

I used to enjoy this, but HoW has some serious quality control problems. The cut varies wildly. The last batch I bought had no top dressing, and tasted mostly of Latakia. The Perique was totally MIA. I now limit my purchases to a handful of small scale blenders because of this sort of thing.

At that price you couldn't expect a wonder, and no wonder you get! What you get is an honest tobacco, tasty and not refined, with just a pinch of topping (I think anise, but I'm not sure). It doesn't bite, as declared on the pouch, it burns fine and can be smoked bowl after bowl. You can definitely find better blends, but it's good.

I have tried Barking Dog over and over again, having purchased a pouch a few years ago, and received one as a gift from one of my daughters a year later. I have to wonder whether my desire to continually give this blend another chance is because of the Boston Terrier on the package, like the pathetic looking pup in the pet shop window, or that looks at you through the bars of the pound. The pouch aroma is very pleasant, and when I can manage to get the doggone thing lit, it's got a great flavour, and leaves a pleasant aroma hanging in the room. Then I have to keep re-lighting it, and that's when it tends to give me tongue bite. It's a very chunky tobacco, and I have never had any luck with chunky tobacco, I know it has to do with not packing it right, but as there are a great many chunky cuts around, and very popular, I have to envy those pipe smokers who have been more successful with this blend than me. Perhaps it has something to do with the breed of dog on the label. Terriers are a nervous-bladdered dog, and, like Barking Dog, are apt to go out more than we'd like them to.

I like Barking Dog once in awhile, but these days, whenever I'm in the mood for an "American blend," I smoke Morley's Best by C&D. Barking Dog is a fine smoke, with a great name, and cool packaging, but Morley's Best is so good that there's just no point, so far as I am concerned, smoking any other Burley/Latakia blend.

Love the packaging. Think the flavor is better than just okay. Tastes to me like Revelation with a little latakia. If I had to pick one or the other, I?d probably go with the Revelation, and look for something with a little more oomph in my latakia choice.

Barking Dog likes to be loosely packed. Begin with gravity feed. The texture and cubed burley lend themselves to this approach. Actually, the dog can bite if pushed, so put a little care in the packing.

Barking Dog can be stubborn about taking a light, but once started is easy to keep lit with gentle puffing. This is also how it delivers its best flavor.

I?ve found Barking Dog will leave a signature in a briar. I?m now smoking a bowl of Plumcake in a briar that last hosted Barking Dog maybe three weeks ago. I still get tastes of the Dog, though the effect isn?t at all unpleasant. If you plan to add Barking Dog to your regular supply of pipeweed, you might want to dedicate a pipe to it.

This seems to be a tobacco that gives its best in corn cobs. It seemed most at home in my bent Country Gentleman, loosely packed and slowly smoked. Because it keeps a light, it?s a good driving companion.

The family gives the aroma a thumbs up, one member saying, ?That smells good, like a campfire,? which is the feedback I like in a latakia blend.

Barking Dog is a friendly smoke that shouldn?t be discouraged from following you home

This one has been somewhat of a let down thus far. Maybe I need to give it another try but after about four bowls at various times I haven't found the key to success with this blend. Better than drug store blends not as good as many of the other House of Windsor blends. 9/15/2004: One of the few blends I returned to time and again. A bit monochromatic compared to Revelation or Country Doctor but it can be smoked more frequently than them also. A good amount of flavor and nicotine content without being too much for frequent consumption.

As a lover of American English blends, I highly recommend Barking Dog, one of a trio of superb American Englishes (the others being Country Doctor and Revelation) offered by the HOW.

Cubed burley and latakia: simple, consistent, and satisfying. A delicious aroma in the pouch and in your pipe, and it always smokes dry, leaving a nice ash with little dottle. My sole complaint is that it bites a little--yes, barking dogs can bite!

A nutty flavored cube cut burley with a sweet Virginia, a touch of smokey Latakia and just a pinch perique. I taste the nuttiness of a good cube cut burley with just enough Latakia to enhance the overall flavor. Yummy stuff this.

My first pipeful of Barking Dog almost led to my re-appelation of it as simply an ill-tempered cur. The chunky-cut blend was hard to light, and I had a hard time keeping it lit after that, tempted to over-puff it and chance a bitten tongue. The second go round was much better, when I packed it loosely to give those burley plugs more air circulation. Then, I was rewarded with a great smoke.

The old-fashioned burley taste comes through in full form, nutty and brisk, hitting on tangy notes along the way as the Virginia components catch on. There's not enough latakia or perique in the blend to provide any more than perhaps a seasoning effect. Properly packed, it burns fairly steady to the end, signaling some slight bitterness in the final stretch, not unexpected from a burley plug mixture.

After a 2 oz. tin's worth, I would say BD is a good burley blend that deserves recognition. Although I prefer Revelation, I wouldn't rule out buying it again.

Not really all that bad, I like it alot more then some of the other selections from this company. It is a good simple smoke with a room note that I like. For what they charge for it at one tobacco store, there are I like so many things better. If I had a good source to purchase it cheaply it might fall into my low end rotation. It doesn't qualify as a good value for what I get out of it.

I will begin by saying that I do like this tobacco, although it is not my favorite tobacco of this type (see my reviews of Uhle's non-aromatics). I think when you factor in the price, this is definitely a good smoke for not a lot of money but I don't smoke a lot and am usually willing to spend more money for better quality leaf. I have not yet made up my mind on whether I will be keeping this on hand, but I suspect I will perhaps purchase it again as a occasional summertime smoke. There is a nice spicy taste that I like on occasion and although the burley in there isn't the best stuff I've ever had it makes a decent blend overall. Despite the claim, as others have mentioned it will irritate the tongue if you aren't careful and it can dry out the mouth and throat a bit. I found it to be a friendlier mixture if humidified just the tiniest amount. I had noticed that I had to pack it extremely tightly to control the burning rate, which was still too fast as I could hear it crackling with even a gentle puff. I had purchased it in bulk, and while it was not too dry as would be the case if it had been stored improperly, it is, I think, just a very dry tobacco to begin with. With a tiny amount of humidity it seems to slow the burning rate and it is less harsh. Worth a try.

I was suprised by this one. I am slowly working my way through the HOW blends and have been pleased with the others. I wasn't sure if I was going to like how they used the latakia, in the can it looks and smells noticable in that regard. I like good latakia, but in smaller quantities than some of the brethern. So this one sat for months in the backround until one day I loaded up a briar, put the ashtray nearby in case I had to abort the mission, and lit up.

I needn't have worried! I'm a burley lover and IMO the burley in this blend is superb. The very light topping and the latakia intermingle to produce what is a mellow-sweet smoke that does, indeed, awaken the olfactory memories of what pipe smokers of the past left in their wake. Smokes cool and dry. I too noticed the astringent quality that wasn't unpleasant but noticeable nonetheless. The room note is quite pleasant. When smoked slowly it has a sedative effect and time not only stops, but goes backwards to the 1950's.

I tried this one out thinking I wasn't going to like it. Now I enjoy it so much that its in my regular rotation, with Revelation and Country Doctor. I would recommend this to those who enjoy burley mixes.

I just couldn't resist the pup on the cup! It takes you back to a much happier and simpler time.The flavor is rather bland with just a hint of Latakia in the blend to give it some texture.It is an unpretencious and straightforward blend. A good blend while outside-it never burns hot. It is worth a try just to remember the past- a time when pipe smokers were looked upon with a certain admiration and not fanatical disgust by the politically correct.Let this take you down memory lane and remember"Barking Dog Never Bites!"

This is another of the burley blends from HOW that I found lacking both in taste and flavoring. And Latakia? Where is it? It didn?t bite me but I did find it somewhat harsh as others have noted. I find this to be true with some other HOW blends. Maybe it?s the quality of the burley or quality control issues at HOW. To wit and as an aside, my first tin of Country Doctor was delightful, the second tin of CD proved to be quite the opposite. The tins were bought months apart. Why the disparity? The quality of the tobacco used in each or quality control? But Barking Dog was a disappointment. Nothing special or worth trying IMO. ?DOG?gone it, you may be ?BARKING? up the wrong tree with this blend. Also note how most of the earlier reviews for Barking Dog are mostly favorable while most of the latter reviews tend to be negative. Is this a coincidence or is it perhaps indicative that the HOW blends aren?t what they used to be when they were first introduced. First impressions are lasting? Not always. I rate this tobacco 5.5 out of 10

Update 1/10/2005

My ?sniffer? and tastebuds may have been under the weather when I first tried BD. I recently finished (6 months later) what remained of the tin contents I had stored away in a ball jar. This time I had a complete change of heart. This is just a great American blend from times past. If you are not old enough to remember those times, I can?t help you but do try BD for a whiff and taste of that era.

A great American classic! Sometimes we look for renowned tobaccos, for great complex flavors... and forget that simple is often good.

Yes, this tobacco is as simple and unpretentious as it comes: granular burley (with bigger pieces than in C&D blends), some latakia and probably a hint of Virginia for sweetness.

The result is stunning: it takes a bit more to light due to the burley "pellets", but then you are in heaven. This blend offers a smoke dominated by the nutty, earthy quality of the burley: it's high grade stuff because it never gets bitter! Latakia is not present in high quantities, but you can definitely feel its taste, which complements the burley just perfectly with its spicy smokiness. It's a blend which truly stays consistent from beginning to end, without off-notes or weird developments. Sure, it could offer more nuances and it doesn't have the dancing alternative paces of flavor of a GLPease, but you'll enjoy it a lot.

A word about the "never bites" ad: well, my tongue is certainly quite rested after a couple of bowls of it. No noticeable irritation, which is good. The smoke is, however, quite full and pleasantly rough: it has a slightly astringent, mouth-drying, heavy on the palate quality. Nothing particularly bad, or long-lasting like tonguebite could be, but the burley sure is a "rustic" taste that could not appeal to those who want smooth and delicate stuff. This doesn't mean that it's a harsh smoke, anyway! For such a tasty blend, this is incredibly easy-going and tolerable: it simply has a "presence" in your mouth which at times doesn't go unnoticed.

This is a good alternative to a classic EM, a blend you could smoke all day long without growing tired, as it's not too rich or cloying. If it weren't for the lack of "wonder factor", I might even upgrade its rating to the maximum. It's THAT good, and I might even do the update in the future...

Overall this is a pretty good tobacco at first glance. Taste, room note, and strength all seem good. Unless you like to inhale your smoke. "Never Bites" obviously doesn't apply to the harshness of the smoke. This stuff course on the throat. I love strong tobacco's like Nightcap and 1792 Flake but at least they are smooth. I would smoke this again in the future but there are too many better tobacco's around.

I really expected to like this tobacco. I first heard about it as the choice of a character in a novel I was reading. I like the taste of burley. I liked the character; I even like dogs. The picture on the can is nice, too. I was anxious to try the tobacco after I read the reviews here. Alas, I could not find it in a local store. I eventually mail-ordered a pouch of it. I found it to be quite a disappointment. It is a very coarse-cut cubed burley that looks a lot like the mulch that comes out of my garden-waste shredder. It is difficult to light and, once lit, burns as though the pipe is filled with charcoal briquets. The experience was hot and harsh. I gave it three tries and then stashed the rest of the pouch away. Maybe I'll try it again someday, but probably not as long as there is anything else around the house to smoke. If you are interested in a Burley-Latakia blend, you should try C & D Morley's Best - it is wonderful. I will avoid the Barking Dog from now on.

=======

Time has passed, I have re-tasted the pouch of this I abandoned a year ago, and I have changed my mind about this tobacco. The rating is upgraded accordingly. The old-fashioned lawn-mulch cut of this tobacco makes it possible to pour it into a pipe and light it; tamping is impossible and unnecessary. I smoked more carefully this time to control the heat and found that the smoke was very tasty, with the light touch of latakia that I enjoy. If I have a complaint about the smoke, it is that it seems a little thin. I have obtained a large tin of this, and expect to be smoking more of it.

With the fairly recent resurgence in trying old time blends, I picked up a pouch of this to try on vacation. I like to think of this blend as inexpensive, rather than cheap. The aroma definitely brought back memories of my Dad "kicking" back in his lazy-boy on a Saturday Night watching the Jackie Gleason Show after a full work week. On to the review. The appearance is the old style cube-cut-coarse, with the burley-base the main component. Yes, there is bright virginia and latakia also. As a matter-of-fact, this was a great change of pace for this puffer. While not a big fan of high percentage latakia blends, I do usually enjoy a higher percentage than found in this blend. However, with the cooling base of burley, this is a delightful change of pace. As one progresses the length of the bowl, the flavor slightly intensifies with a nice melding of the components; but ever so gently. It burns to a nice dry dottle. This is one of those blends I like to smoke for the overall experience. A Nice Smoke.

This blend makes me smile. I smoke it in an old no-name pipe when fishing and all is serendipitous. I am not old enough to have experienced some of the famed blends of yore, but I rather like the quiet company of this "american" mixture, even more so for its value. I keep ALOT of BD around.

Last summer I smoked an ounce or so of this chunky American English. The flavor profile is very similar to Early Morning Pipe, except one changes out the VA for Burley. Not strong enough for me, even in the a.m., but tasty, though it will bite if overpuffed.

This is a nice old-fashioned tobacco. I think alot of English blend smokers have become too snobbish lately. You know what I mean; if the blend is not "designer" or is just not expensive/imported, well . . . . it just can't be any good!

I learned a lesson here. Barking Dog is not "designer", is not imported, nor is it expensive. It is, however, very good. It is comprised mainly of cubed Burley and bright VA with Latakia added for flair. It has a nice understated Latakia flavor surrounded by a fullness that only Burley can give. It burns extraordinarily cool and dry as a bone. The aroma is pure natural "tobacco" with a hint of Latakia.

Barking Dog is not complex, but sometimes complexity is overrated. After all, a bowl of ice cream is not complex, but does that mean it isnt good?

I have developed a real love for burley blends and this has to be one of the best out there. This is a great summertime blend for the english lover. big chunks of cubed burley with a lite taste of latakia in the background I'll never get tired of this one. This one and H.O.W. Revelation will both hold a special place in my heart.

Quite simply put--I liked this tobacco. While Barking Dog doesn't quite hit any home runs it seems to be a consistently good mutt; packs easy, lights well, burns dry and clean and tastes pretty much as I thought it would. Gotta love your Burley. I would have preferred a few more leaves of Latakia but maybe that's where House of Windsor's "Country Doctor" comes in. If you like a decent straightforward Burley, give this a try. Simplicity can sometimes surprise you...

I just finished a tin of Barking Dog, having bought a tin after hearing generally good reviews on the re-released House of Windsor tobaccos. The tobacco is uniformly prepared cube cut burley and latakia. The tobacco at first seemed a little damp and hard to light, which was easily remedied by leaving the cap off for a day. Upon lighting, the initial flavor is of mild latakia, by no means overwhelming, a pleasant, smokey flavor. The flavor soon settles into a mild but "earthy" honest tobacco flavor, with a gentle sweetness in the background. Hard puffing does not produce any tongue bite. The second half of the bowl continues to be mellow and wholesome, but the flavors are a little more focused and developed. I get hints of Squadron Leader, but not as rich and rounded as SQ. I find the second half of a bowl of Barking Dog to offer a subtle complexity that I would not have expected from this tobacco. IMO this may not be the best tobacco you will smoke during your day, but it is is a good, trustworthy tobacco.

This is exactly what it says: burley and latakia! If you took a pouch of carter hall, added about 25% blending latakia, mixed well, aged for some time, and then cube cut the whole mess- you would have Barking Dog. This blend deserves some merit for the novelty of smoking an American Latakia blend. Other than that, it smokes hot, nips some, and has very poor burning characteristics. The end.

This is the first of the House of Windsor blends I tried. I recently got the "sampler set" which is a 2 oz. tin of each of the 10 blends they are re-releasing.

It surprised me that there were such things as "drugstore" blends that could best be classified as English and contained Latakia and other condiment leaf in them. Drugstore blends to me are the heavily cased aromatics such as Captain Black, Borkum Riff and others of the same ilk. Even though it clearly says Barking Dog contains latakia in the description, I wasn't prepared for the heavy Latakia scent upon popping the tin. Once upon a time not all that long ago, I was really into the English latakia blends. Somewhere along the line my tastes shifted to Virginia or Virgina/Perique blends. As a result, Barking Dog wasn't really up my alley.....too much Latakia for me.

I will say this......and I've noticed this with most of the HOW blends I've tried: the blends really balance out once the can has been opened for 2 or 3 days. What was initially a strong blast of Latakia has balanced with the other tobaccos so it's not as overbearing to me. Also, I'm very impressed with the quality of the HOW blends. I expected something bordering on the unsmokeable.......I was surprised to find quality that rivals anything else out there.....

What can I say that already hasn't been said in the previous reviews? For being a so-called drug store blend, it's very good. The amount of Latikia is just right to make it a great American version of one of those expensive over-sea English blends. To be honest, I'm not partial to strong English blends, but this is mild enough for my taste, and so far I've not received any complaints from the family about the room aroma. So I know I've got a winner here. I would certainly recommend this. And when available around in my neighborhood, I would smoke it regularly.

I'll do a review on this one and follow up with some thoughts about this tobacco.

Pipe: Brookfield quarter-bent

Weather: Muggy

Modifications: Denicool crystals in bottom third of bowl, 9mm filters replaced as needed

Packaging: You can see the picture at the top; that's on the box. Inside is a foil pouch with a printed brownscale (various shades of brown) and white plaid outside decoration.

Initial Impressions: This is comprised of cubes of burley, with what seems to be some Latakia (by the pouch smell) and maybe a bit of Virginia. The color is brown, with flecks of gold and some ribbons of darker brown tobacco. The pouch smell is the heavenly and true spicy smell of tobacco mixed with latakia. I was unable to determine whether the latakia was Cyprian or not.

Unlit Taste: Spicy, with tobacco

Lighting: The cubes pack well, despite their size. You can always rub them out if you want a finer size. The tobacco was at the right moisture level right out of the box and it took a charring light and two good tamps to get it going. An occasional relight was needed, but it totalled 2 relights over the entire bowl.

Smoking (First Third): A wonderful nutty taste and a simple sweetness hits the mouth as great clouds of creamy, pleasant smoke wafts around the room. This smokes cool and a medium puffing speed is good to keep it going. Only a slight hint of spicyness if present. The tobacco has a light and fresh quality to the smoke.

Smoking (Second Third): The flavors really started to mature at this point, with the nuttiness giving way to a spicer and sweeter smoke. I'd recommend slowing down the puff speed to let that little bit of Virgina (it seems like Va, anyways) infuse the tobacco with a nice, mellow sweetness. A solid smoke all the way to the end.

Smoking (Bottom Third): As an interesting note, the Denicool crystals at the very bottom of the pipe were not dark brown, as is usually the case. I'm taking this to mean that a lower level of moisture and nicotine are standard with this tobacco. The room note remained pleasant, with bystanders complimenting me on a fine choice in smoking tobacco.

Aftereffects: A nice aftertaste is present, but this can be eliminated well with a brushing and some Biotene and about 30 minutes of waiting. The room note wasn't stale at all and had a nice quality to it.

Overall Recommendation: This is a GREAT tobacco that I am adding into my rotation as an all-day smoke. It's light enough and gentle enough to be at home in any pipe and it'd be great for building cake in a new pipe. This is a winner for Windsor and I'm planning on getting a large tin of this to ensure that I have some on hand at all times. Like it was said before, this isn't so complex, but it doesn't need to be complex. It's a simple, yet fine thing to experience!

Notes: This is a tobacco of wood-paneled station wagons, summer fishing with Dad and lazy summers in the hammock. This tobacco feels like Americana and it's not just the packaging! This is what the noxious Mixture no. 79, Half and Half and other common mixtures want to grow into. This is not only a hearkening back to a simpler time, but the smell unlocks particular memories of Grandad and fishing trips and crabapple tossing for me. If you compare it to a heavier blend, like McClelland's "British Woods" or a GL Pease English, this seems light and airy. To me, a full english is like a T-Bone steak; full and satisfying, but more than one is too much. Barking Dog is more like half a sub sandwich; satisfying and pleasant to get into, but never so much as to make you regret eating it. Thumbs up from me.

I used to smoke Barking Dog 40 years ago. After reading the P&T review, I got some of the newly released stuff from House of Windsor. It is quite nice to smoke, lights and burns evenly, leaving a fine grey ash. Out of the pouch it is not wet at all and you need to be sure it doesn't get too dry. The cut is fairly coarse and don't try to pack it too tightly for the best smoke. Try it!

They say this is a "Drug store blend" If so, maybe I need to start going to the drug store more often to buy my tobacco. Not really, my tobacconist just happens to carry most of the House of Windsor blends. He knows good pipe tobacco when he smokes it. Barking Dog, may not be my first choice for a smoke, but I won't turn my nose up to it either. It is differnt. Not an English, not an aromatic, not a natural. What is it? The motto on the box states "Barking Dog, never bites" I'd almost disagree with that, if it was not for the above tobacconist advising me of the nuancies of smoking this tobacco. It must be sipped. Don't puff on your pipe like a blast furnace, for if you do, you will be rewarded with a mighty tounge bite. So true, I made that mistake. However, if you sip it gently, you will be rewarded with many differnt tastes. Burley? Latakia? was that Perique in there? What was that flavore, eminating from the light casing placed on the tobacco? House of Windsor has brought back to the pipe smoker, tastes from the past, when we were not all in such a hurry. Sit back, go slow, and this might be the tobacco for you.

I just spent Father's Day 2003 enjoying multiple bowls of Barking Dog and Revelation -- both now being constructed at the House of Windsor.

Barking Dog indeed has no bite. Upon opening the tin, I smelled Latakia, but at the match that condimental leaf stayed deep in the background. The Perique was so far in the background that I only tasted hints of it from time to time - particularly near the bottom third of the smoke.

There is a delicate casing in this blend of Latakia/Burley/Perique/Virginia. Wonderful stuff, although I could not identify the flavor.

If you enjoy cheap and tasty, grab some Barking Dog. It's a pleasant puppy!

PS.....the more I smoke this blend the more I appreciate it. Barking Dog can be puffed on like there's no tomorrow and still be as biteless as any tobacco I've ever tried -- and I've tried a bunch!

I discovered this blend after seeing the ad for and article on House of Windsor in P&T. I was intrigued by the retro packaging and the ad that features the antique photo of two hunters sitting by the road with their pipes and dogs. I couldn't resist that photo. Hey, I'm a sucker for good marketing. I thouroughly enjoyed this blend. After smoking many high-end blends over the years, I didn't have high excpectations for this stuff in a box. I smoke a lot of English blends and this was a nice variation. There is a little sweetness to it and it's light enough to smoke in the morning or all day. The room note is agreeable to those who usually flee from Latakia. I will definitley keep this one around with my collection of lighter Latakia blends.

I like this tobacco very much. It is said to be an old fashion "American" blend by many reviewers. I do not know if this is a true statement but find it a good friendly combination of chunky Burley and Latakia. I am a fan of the so called drug store blends and have a different outlook then most on these blends. I find it amazing that they have stood the test of time, and being they have maybe these manufacturers know what American smokers want. House of Windsor should be congradulated for producing a line of tobacco's that actually have "textures" that vary from other over the counter blends. Looking forward to trying other blends in the line.